DU behind the surge in Cancer rates in Iraq
DU behind the surge in Cancer rates in Iraq
11/12/2006 9:30:00 AM GMT
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In 1991, Washington and its Persian Gulf War allies used armor-piercing shells
made of depleted uranium -- the first time such weapons had been used in
military conflicts -- as the Iraqis retreated from Kuwait.
Up till now, the battlefield remains a radioactive toxic wasteland -- and
depleted uranium munitions remain a mystery despite many studies and many
attempts by scientists to fully discover its secrets.
In military applications, when alloyed, Depleted Uranium [DU] is ideal for use
in armor penetrators. These solid metal projectiles have the speed, mass and
physical properties to perform exceptionally well against armored targets. DU
provides a substantial performance advantage, well above other competing
materials. This allows DU penetrators to defeat an armored target at a
significantly greater distance. Also, DU's density and physical properties make
it ideal for use as armor plate. DU has been used in weapon systems for many
years in both applications.
Depleted uranium results from the enriching of natural uranium for use in
nuclear reactors. Natural uranium is a slightly radioactive metal that is
present in most rocks and soils as well as in many rivers and sea water.
Natural uranium consists primarily of a mixture of two isotopes (forms) of
uranium, Uranium-235 (U235) and Uranium-238 (U238), in the proportion of about
0.7 and 99.3 percent, respectively. Nuclear reactors require U235 to produce
energy, therefore, the natural uranium has to be enriched to obtain the isotope
U235 by removing a large part of the U238.
Once DU round strikes a solid object like a tank, it bursts into a burning spray
of radioactive dust, which can remain on site for years.
Many reports and political experts confirmed that the U.S. and British troops
fired more than 940,000 depleted uranium projectiles during the 1991 conflict.
The Pentagon refuses to clarify the exact effects of depleted uranium, but Iraqi
doctors attribute the significant increase in cancer and birth defects in the
region to the U.S. and British troops’ use of DU.
Many researches conducted outside Iraq, and by several U.S. veterans
organizations, suggested that depleted uranium could have played a role in Gulf
War Syndrome, the still-unexplained malady that has plagued hundreds of
thousands of Gulf War veterans.
The U.S. is believed to have used 320,000 tons of depleted uranium during the
Gulf War alone. Also British Armed Forces used depleted uranium in some of its
ammunition.
Iraqi doctors reported significant growth in cancer and birth defects during the
period between 1991 and 2003; the period of the two wars the country fought and
in which the U.S. and the British forces were involved.
It was during these two wars that such weapons were used; which led to the
noticeable growth in cancer and birth defects in Iraq.
In 2001, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a study on depleted
uranium after serious doubts emerged over its damage to health.
The study claimed that depleted uranium had very little risk of spreading.
But a scientist who had worked for the WHO at that time later stated that
another study that was kept concealed from the public contradicted WHO’s claim,
and that it asserts that depleted uranium can cause cancer.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4, Dr. Keith Baverstock, who worked on the
published study, said that Depleted uranium inhalation has geno-toxic effects on
DNA.
"When you breathe in the dust the deeper it goes into the lung the more
difficult it is to clear. The particles that dissolve pose a risk - part
radioactive - and part from the chemical toxicity in the lung - and then later
as that material diffuses into the rest of the body, and into the blood stream,
a potential risk at sites like the bone marrow for leukemia, the lymphatic
system and the kidney," Dr. Baverstock said, adding that this study was excluded
from the report released earlier by WHO.
British and American troops in Iraq today continue using depleted uranium
weapons ignoring the deadly impact it has on civilians’ lives and health.
It had also been revealed that the Israeli occupation army used uranium in the
recent offensive Lebanon.
Cancer rate in Iraq has increased tenfold, and the number of birth defects has
multiplied fivefold times since the 1991 war. The increase is believed to be
caused by depleted uranium.
Many scientists sought to investigate these events, but Washington is blocking
any attempt to inspect the aftermath of the war.
Also the U.S. refused refused to cooperate with the United Nations on the issue.
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